The Only Way

Ana Aslan

In 1945, Ana Aslan received an invitation to be the Head of Department at the Medical Clinic at the city of Timissoara (Temeswar). Although it pained her to leave the capital Bucharest where she had been so respected and had many patrons, she decided to take the position. She knew that it was time to emancipate herself from her great examples, and to follow her own path. One last time, she thought about all her mentors: Prof Toma Ionescu, at whose side she worked during the First World War and who had called her his “little surgeon”. He was a grumpy person with a heart of gold, whose empathy with his patients made a deep impression on Ana. However, she never became a surgeon. Prof Gheorge Marinescu, the great Neurologist and droll character , who was the first one to introduce her to the science of Geriatrics, made the jealous comment when she joined his younger colleague Danielopolou, “that man is stealing all my good students!” And lastly, Prof Daniel Danielopolou, whom Ana often called her “true master”. He was a man of rare intelligence, very alert, logical and a theoriser, and at the same time, a shrewd judge of character. He was only interested in his work, and Ana often received his judgement as if he were an attorney. She enjoyed looking up to his independent genius, but also felt the need to free herself from the student-teacher relationship:

“A shining light attracts the creative spirit and draws it into its circle. But it can also block its view. The most impressive oak trees cast the greatest shadows, and only small trees can grow beneath them. The wind has to blow the seeds to more fertile soils.”